I love New Year’s Day. It is probably my favorite day of the year. It’s like having a clean slate to get to start all over again. Think about it. In 2016 I haven’t hacked off my wife, tried to be funny only to discover my humor was wildly inappropriate, I haven’t broke my diet, missed a workout, failed to read my Bible, slept through my prayer time, broken a fast, missed an opportunity to share the Gospel, watched too much TV, ignored my blog, or failed to be intentional about disciplining my children.

Did I make any of those mistakes in 2015? It doesn’t matter because 2015 is gone. The mistakes and failures of 2015 are no longer an albatross around my neck that drag me down. The successes of 2015 no longer enable me to set back on my laurels.

2016 lies before me filled with potential and possibilities. All the things that could be in 2016 fill me with excitement and convince me that they should be. To make the most of all the potential and possibilities of 2016 means that I’ll have to be very intentional about making the changes that I want to make. While I want to make changes in 2016 I’m not much of a fan of New Year’s resolutions. In my world, resolutions have about as much chance of coming true as wishing I’d get bitten by a radioactive spider and get super powers. The just aren’t going to happen. But goals are a different story.

I’m spending the majority of today finalizing my goals for 2016. I’ll continue to work on them this week and hope to have them completed by Monday. When I set goals I don’t just set the big thing I want to see happen. I also set 4-5 smaller goals that will help me to accomplish my bigger goal. When I think about the picture of the future that could be, something inside me screams that it should be and this fills me with excitement and hope.

While you may not be as excited about the New Year as I am, I feel pretty confident in saying there is something you want to be different in 2016. You may not do resolutions or goals but there is something you would really like to change this year. It could be that you want to be more faithful as a follower of Jesus Christ. It could be that you want to be more consistent in reading your Bible and praying. You may want to change something with your health, your finances, your marriage, your parenting or relationships that you have. Even if you haven’t thought long and hard about it, there is almost certainly something you’d like to change in 2016.

Starting on Monday I’m going post a series of blogs to help you set goals about what you want to accomplish in 2016. I hope you’ll join me so that together we can make the most of 2016.

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Published by Stacy J Ross

I'm a husband to Kelly, dad to Katelyn, Sarah and Elizabeth. I am a follower of Jesus Christ that God has graciously allowed to preach and pastor.
I pastor the Northridge Free Will Baptist Church in Guymon OK. I love my church family and thank God every day for privilege I have to be a part of their lives and help them follow Jesus.
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